After six years of work, Willmott Dixon has become the first contractor to achieve level 3 of the Carbon Trust’s supply chain standard
Achieving a score of 82%, builds on the company’s knowledge and skills gained through the award of the Carbon Trust’s two previous standards.
The level 3 standard recognises the organisations that can demonstrate they are measuring, managing and reducing carbon emissions from their supply chains.
To achieve level 3, Willmott Dixon worked closely with two of its category A supply chain partners – TJL Plastering and McDermotts Building & Civil Engineering. Together, they created carbon management plans which included measures to reduce fuel use on site, reduce office energy use and create a more sustainable approach to transport.
Both partners reported significant carbon and cost savings between 10-20%.
Willmott Dixon also examined the embodied carbon of the materials purchased on their projects, with a particular focus on concrete, developing carbon reduction strategies as a result.
The criteria for level 3 also required Willmott Dixon to expand the approach developed during Level 2 and to engage with more of its supply chain. They worked with three further groundworks companies, helping them baseline their carbon footprint.
‘Building a net zero future’
Marta Iglesias, associate director, The Carbon Trust, said: “Willmott Dixon is the first company in their sector to be certified to Level 3 of the Supply Chain Standard.
“This achievement is a reflection of their robust strategies and plans for climate action in their supply chain, and their successful engagement with suppliers.
“We hope this is a step towards extending their positive impact and building a net zero future.”
Julia Barrett, chief sustainability officer, Willmott Dixon, added: “We are delighted to have met the criteria for the award of the prestigious Carbon Trust Supply Chain Standard at Level 3.
“Achieving this accreditation is key to meeting the objectives of our ambitious ‘Now or Never’ 2030 Sustainability Strategy, where we have set some of the toughest science-based targets in the industry.
“Through our strategy, we will continue our work to reduce our scope 3 emissions, this is driven by our ambitious target to achieve a net zero carbon supply chain and deliver net zero embodied carbon on our projects by 2040.”
Further to its collaboration with the Carbon Trust, Willmott Dixon is also working closely with the Climate Action Group, part of the Supply Chain Sustainability School.
